The ferry I was taking from South Baymouth to Tobermory was scheduled to leave at 11:10 AM and arrive at 1 PM. South Baymouth was about 55 KM from where I was camping, so to make sure I had enough time to get there, I erred on the side of caution and woke up at 5 AM once more. It was cooler this morning, but I could still feel lingering humidity, even at this hour.
There seemed to be quite a few large winged bugs all over my tent, who showed no interest in me, and more offsettingly, quite a few long legged spiders all over my bike. They had built webs on my bike, and I had to pick around ten or more of them off before leaving. Even once I began riding, more of these big spiders kept crawling out of no where and across my handle bars, it was actually a little disturbing.
My ride to the ferry was mostly uneventful, passing by fields of sheep and cattle, which I now realize have been absent since I entered Northern Ontario. What was cool however, was the large turtle I found on the side of the road. It was about the size of a rugby ball, with green moss growing on its worn shell, and a long spiked tail much like a crocodile's. I especially liked how cool its tail was in comparison to the small smooth ones I usually see on common turtles. It didnt seem to much care about my presence, or that of the married couple who had also stopped to gawk; it just chilled on the side of the road. I was pretty happy with the sighting, and continued on my way.
I also got a flat tire again this morning. Upon inspection, I found tons of sharp crystal like rocks embedded in my tire trend. My tires are really sturdy, and no other rocks have actually pierced them before these shiny rocks found all over the island. When I removed them, they left holes in their absence. I am thinking I will replace the back tire in Toronto, its looking pretty worn anyway. I still had tons of time before my ferry left, so I took my time repairing the flat and tinkering with my breaks before departing.
I arrived at the ferry terminal about an hour and a half before boarding, so I amused myself looking around the tourist shops and by reading. The cool air coming off the water was a refreshing break from yhe heat Ive been experiencing the last few weeks. Once we boarded the vessel, I relaxed inside reading my book and enjoying the views out the window. I am once again impressed by the size of the great lakes; everywhere I looked, all I could see was open water to the horizon, as if we truly were at sea. I enjoyed the nice break from cycling, but we soon arrived at Tobermory, and it was time to roll out.
As soon as I hit the highway, I hit the most amazing tailwind Ive ever experienced, and I absolutely rocketed down the highway, past large grassy fields and the green sprouts of thriving crops. Im pretty sure I covered 40 KM in just over an hour or so, it was that fast. It was too good to last though, and the road soon bent in such a direction where the wind was half helpful and half resistive. I slowed down quite a bit, but I was still making decent time. I passed one particularly scenic field with three large windmills overlooking fields of fragrant yellow canola with barns beyond and cattle beside.
Just after 4 PM, I arrived in Wiarton, a nice little town with an inviting centre avenue of local businesses. Wiarton is also home to one of the many psychic groundhogs we inexplicably put in charge of predicting the weather, Wiarton Willie.
I made my way to the local campsite down by the water, and set up for another relaxing night. I headed over to a pub for a decent burger, and then headed to the grocery store for chocolate milk. For some reason, 2L was on sale cheaper than 1L, so despite only wanting 1L, I got the 2L. Well see how my stomach likes THAT one. Now its time to relax and finish my book.
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